minimalist

Mayumi Miyata, Midori Takada: 「星雲」～サウンド・フォレスト・シリーズ (Nebula) (1987)

2019/10/18

If we can thank the heavens for something today, it is for bringing together Mayumi Miyata and Midori Takada. Released as part of CBS/Sony’s short-lived Sound Forest (サウンド・フォレスト・シリーズ) series,「星雲」～サウンド・フォレスト・シリーズ (Nebula) presents a different aesthetic within that series idea of “environmental music”. Not necessarily made to attract electronically-minded listeners, Nebula is a nebulous blend of truly…
David Friesen: Inner Voices (1987)

2019/10/15

Here’s hoping this writeup lasts not much longer than David Friesen’s meditative Inner Voices. What exactly was David Friesen’s Inner Voices? Much like Eberhard Weber in Europe, in America, David was that kind of quicksilver, enigmatic, bass player that played on countless “jazz” records spanning from bebop, free jazz, modal, and other chin scratching, heady…
Mix: 30. Moods For Digital Gardening (Guest Mix By Paradise Is A Frequency)

2019/10/11

Mix Cover by Huiqian Wu For the longest, I’ve badgered a record label based out of St. Louis, Missouri — Paradise Is A Frequency — to share a mix of theirs on my radio show. For me, it all started with them reaching out years ago, sending out a digital handshake into the void saying…
Dagobert Böhm: Acoustic Moods (1987)

2019/10/01

One of my favorite things to see on an album are liner notes listing guitar tunings used within. As a musician myself, I see a certain humility in doing this for others, because in essence you’re exposing some of the magic you had to conjure up for others. I think doing so, I think you’re…
Mario Rosini: Mediterraneo Centrale (1992)

2019/09/24

For those still clinging on to their last bit of summer, there’s always a bit of it near the Mediterranean. Somewhere near Sanremo, I imagine as this centrally-located American, there’s a perfect day being soundtracked by the music on one Mario Rosini (and in this case) joined by Pino Daniele. Balearic du jour, New Age…
Hiroki Miyano (宮野弘紀): D / I/ V /E /R /G /E (分岐点) (1988)

2019/09/20

And now some jazz… *Quietly watches all my readers’ eyes glaze over*. For those who can appreciate the bigger “jazz” picture, here’s Hiroki Miyano’s D / I/ V /E /R /G /E. Showcasing Hiroki Miyano’s wonderfully elegant guitar playing, D / I/ V /E /R /G /E takes great pains not to rock the boat…
Yoshitaka Azuma (東祥高): Asian Wind (1981)

2019/06/21

Guest post by Giacomo Lee. The first thing that strikes you about Asian Wind is its sleeve. The striking pink and upside-down triangle on the front cover is the handiwork of design group Sign, a Japanese trio who were responsible for, among other things, the cover of Sakamoto’s Thousand Knives LP )back in the tail…
Gabriel Yacoub: Elementary Level Of Faith (1987)

2019/06/04

If one can remember anything of French-Lebanese musician Gabriel Yacoub, it’s of the time he fronted progressive folk group Malicorne. Under Malicorne, one could hear ideas fomented from prior work with the Alan Stivell band. A mix of forgotten Breton music and experimental folk, Malicorne sounded like little else (closest brethren being Clannad, elsewhere). As…
Koichi Inamoto (稲本耕一): Message From Min-Yō クラリネットでちょっと気どって日本民謡 (1986)

2019/05/31

Coming in clear, not just a message from Min’yō but one of other beautiful Japanese folk traditions from the Muromachi period and others from deep sōkyoku compositions, albeit transformed via newfound ideas (of newer ages), as played through by the late great clarinetist Koichi Inamoto. To put it simply: Well, what’s the Message From Min-Yō…
Rubaja and Hernandez: High Plateaux (1987)

2019/05/21

Here’s another leftfield one from the Windham Hill label. A high mixture of Latin American rhythms, warm digital synthesis, and exploratory brass instruments, High Plateaux by the Argentine-Mexican duo of Bernardo Rubaja and Cesar Hernandez, cement itself as one of the high points and sadly little, further defined areas of little-known Latin American New Age…